Sharon Hesterlee

About Sharon Hesterlee

Dr. Hesterlee is President and CEO of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She was previously Chief Research Officer for MDA and, before that, headed Portfolio Development and Neuromuscular programs for gene therapy company Asklepios Biopharmaceuticals, Inc (Askbio). As part of AskBio she also led Lion Therapeutics as CEO of this neuromuscular-focused special purpose entity of Askbio before Lion was rolled back into Askbio as part of its successful series A funding. Before joining Askbio/Lion she served as Director, Gene Therapy at Pfizer Inc.’s Rare Disease Research Unit, where she led three of Pfizer’s internal gene therapy programs following the acquisition of Bamboo therapeutics in 2016. In the 15 years before transitioning to industry, Dr. Hesterlee led research and strategy for several nonprofit organizations as Chief Science Officer for the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation, Vice President of Research for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, and Senior Vice President and Executive Director of MDA Venture Philanthropy at the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In these roles she brokered and managed over $30M in research investments in companies engaged in gene and other therapy development for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Friedreich’s ataxia and other rare neuromuscular diseases. She has also served as the first Scientific Director for the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. She has been involved in numerous efforts to remove barriers to therapy development for rare disease and foster interactions between patient advocacy groups and industry. Dr. Hesterlee has served on the advisory board of the University of Arizona\'s School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, the governing board of the Health Research Alliance, the NINDS Council, and the Department of Health and Human Service\'s Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee. She currently serves on the Boards of Armatus Bio and TREAT-NMD Services Ltd. and she serves as the Chair of the DOD’s CDMRP Programmatic panel for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Arizona in

Experience

1. President and Chief Executive Officer

   Muscular Dystrophy Association

   Nov 2025 — Present

Education

• Unversity of Georgia

  BS and BFA, Zoology and Art

  1988 — 1993

• University of Arizona

  Ph.D., Neuroscience

  1993 — 1999

Skills

• Research
• Drug Discovery
• Biotechnology
• Venture Philanthropy
• Reseach Strategy
• Biochemistry
• Translational Research
• Research Projects
• Research Program Management
• Life Sciences
• Clinical Trials
• Molecular Biology
• Public Speaking
• Drug Development
• Clinical Research
• Grants
• Strategic Planning
• Commercialization
• Clinical Development
• Neuroscience
• Fundraising
• Lifesciences